


Previously on Other Peoples' Heartache

by Hecallsmehischild



Series: Just Legends [4]
Category: Mystery Skulls (Band), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-13 03:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7961404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hecallsmehischild/pseuds/Hecallsmehischild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of oneshots for the Just Legends series. Each chapter will address the time and setting of the chapter, so read all notes for context.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If You Are a Friend of Any Sort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks to squigglydigg and ectoimp for letting me borrow The Pepperman. Prompt sent in by bluemist17: The funniest or oddest ghost bust that the MSA gang has had to do. Setting is long before Things We Lost.

 

"Who told the 73-year-old lady it was okay to drag race her Prius against a monster truck?" Arthur threw his hands wide, gesturing at the mess Lance's truck had towed in.

"Don't ask, Artie," Lance grunted, settling the wreck into Arthur's designated station. "But she's a long time customer. Good track record with payments. Do what you can for it, eh?"

"It'll take a week at least!" Arthur ran his hands over the right side, crunched in with jagged bits of glass lining the empty holes that had been windows. "And that's just the exterior. You say it flipped and she's _still_ kicking?"

"Yep. She's a tough ol' bird." Lance headed for his office. "Heard she did it 'cause some hotshot made fun of her car."

A snort sounded from the other side of the car and Arthur glanced over. He'd forgotten Lewis and Vivi were there.

"Sounds like something you'd do at that age." Lewis nudged Vivi with his shoulder, receiving an offended swat to his arm for the trouble.

"I would not, you sandblasted wingnut cookie. Besides, I'd be in the monster truck."

"Not on MY watch!" Arthur exclaimed. "Lewis, you have to swear to me you won't ever let a monster truck suffer under her! It wouldn't be right!"

"Say it to my fist, Squire! I'll knock you on your rocky road and kick the ever-loving cheesecake out of you!"

"Hey, hey you two. We're here to talk Mystery Skulls' budget issues, not start fights." Lewis flashed a notepad. "Think we can talk while you start work, Arthur?"

Arthur was about to respond when strains of Magic floated through the air. Kay was calling. Grimacing, he grabbed his cell phone. "Hey, yeah. How's it going, Kay? Lewis and Vivi are here, yeah, did you want to talk to them? I mean Lewis?" He rushed the words all together in one breath. If she was trying to get details on their next meeting, now was _not_ a good time.

"Hey Arthur. Actually, yeah. I've been trying to get ahold of Lewis, but he's not answering."

Arthur blinked, glancing over at Lewis. Cranking up a wry grin, he raised his voice. "Well I guess it's not surprising he hasn't picked up, Kay, since he's doing his best Romeo impression with Vivi over here."

Lewis flushed as Vivi cackled.

"But it's okay," Kay continued. "Actually we kind of need the three of you over here."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you have a haunting."

"Well, I don't think it's a haunting, but we're not the ghost experts. It's definitely something, though. How fast can you guys get over to the Pepper Paradiso?"

Arthur assessed the wreck at his station. There wasn't much he could get done before closing time at this rate. It would be better to start fresh in the morning anyway. "Ask the manager. Hold on." He flipped his phone over the top of the wreck at Vivi, who swiped it out of the air and held it to her mouth like a walkie talkie.

"This is the Mystery Skulls. We're on our way. Over and out."

…..

Arthur couldn't get enough air, and by the sound of it, Vivi was in the same boat. He didn't know it was possible to laugh this long and hard and was pretty sure he'd be feeling it in the abdomen tomorrow. He tried to push himself up off the floor, but all it took was one glance at the paranormal visitor to the Pepper Paradiso to send him right back down.

Standing toe to toe with Lewis Pepper was… Lewis Pepper. Or, at least, some version of him. Stick thin legs and impossibly tiny feet supported a massive torso that ballooned out side to side. A pair of thick arms hung from shoulders three times as wide as the hip structure, and at the end of the arms were hands the size of Lewis' head and hair together. Speaking of hair, the intruder's pompadour stuck out a good two feet above his face to boot.

All in all, it looked as though a caricature artist had molded a living model of Lewis and set it loose on the world. And that had been Arthur's impression _before_ the thing opened its mouth.

"Yes, hello, I am the Pepperman." Its smile stretched from one jaw hinge to the other, but there was nothing threatening in its greeting. Its eyes were pinpricks, like dot-eyes drawn on a face. Not likely to be a ghost as they rarely tried to impersonate other people. "I am the Pepperman, what servings will you have?" It flipped a white towel over its arm and Vivi howled.

Lewis stood frozen, completely unsure how to take the thing standing before him. Kay hung a few feet behind it, biting her lip. "So, ah, this showed up for the shift before yours. He's been serving customers and everything. Dad's nervous, but Mom put him right to work."

"Make it go away!" Aji poked her head out from the kitchen, shouting, "It's trying to be Lewis and it's not, it's creeping me out!"

Rolling her eyes, Kay shrugged. "Not like he's done anything malicious. The worst that's happened is he spilled orange juice on Miss Martin and tried to mop it off her. With a mop."

Lewis slowly brought his hands up to his face, massaging his temples with his fingers.

Arthur gasped from the floor, "Wait, wait wait wait, Pepperman, what do you think of Vivi?"

Lewis shot Arthur a glare. "Don't you even-"

"Oh! Bluevi!" The smile got all wide and wobbly, and the eyes dropped down to where Vivi leaned on the nearest chair. "Pretty Bluevi. I am take Bluevi on dancing date later and pretend no see when she step on my feet."

Lewis' jaw dropped and Kay lost it, sagging against the host counter. "He's got you pegged!"

"No he doesn't!" Lewis protested. "He doesn't look anything like me!"

The Pepperman brought its hands up to the sides of its face, the smile stretching up to the corners of its eyes now. "Bluevi hair smell like flower and happiness."

Tears streamed down his face, and Arthur was fairly certain he would pass out from lack of oxygen if he couldn't get himself under control. How Lewis did not find this hysterical was beyond him.

"Wh-what even are you?" Lewis spluttered.

"I am the Pepperman," it beamed, waving a hand. "Hello. I go make the serves now."

"No you don't go make the serves!" Lewis caught it by the arm. "Look, I don't know who you are, but-" He glanced down at Vivi and Arthur. Arthur just waved at him to continue, unable to help. "But we're professionals here, and impersonation… um… I…"

The Pepperman nodded. It reached into a pocket, pulled out a tiny white notepad that barely covered the width of one thumb and began writing on it. "Make more stammer to be good Pepperman."

Exasperated, Lewis grabbed the notepad and flipped through it. "Heart Bluevi always, make joke on Sunny D man, pet the bork potato… what is this, how to become Lewis 101?"

"Want to be Pepperman." The Pepperman puffed up its chest to absurd effect. "Pepperman strong. Pepperman nice. Pepperman good person to be. I be Pepperman."

Arthur finally wiped his eyes, drawing in a few shaky breaths. "H-h-hey. J-just out of curiosity, I mean. If you couldn't be the Pepperman, who would you be?"

Lewis glanced down at Arthur, but he shrugged. "Maybe this will tell us something."

"Oh, I know!" And just like that, the hulking purple form melted down to Lewis' knee height. A round-headed blue girl with sweater sleeves down to her knees and a scarf that draped down to pile around her ankles peeked up at them. "Sweet kind pretty always be there Bluevi. See?" The arms raised and the sleeves rolled back, revealing tiny little nubby hands. "I-Vi. I am. It me."

Lewis was back to staring with a blank expression. Vivi gasped for air, red-faced.

The little impressionist settled nubby hands on hips and pouted. "Stoppit laugh you food plant animal thing. Me ice cream your other food thing."

"Hah." Lewis finally cracked a smile. "Hah. Ha… hahahahAHAHAHAHA!" He slapped a hand down on the host desk, guffawing along with Kay. "This is what you called us out to get rid of? This guy should be our mascot!"

"No, bork potato is mascot," the Pepperman sulked. "No room for more mascot."

"Do Arthur!" Kay hooted. "Do it!"

"Oh no!" Arthur groaned, grabbing his stomach. "Kay, I just got a second to breath-ahAHAHA!"

Lurching over Arthur was a stilt-legged beanpole with a vest that puffed his chest out three times its size and a goatee long and sharp enough to shave with. "It is I, the Sunny D boy! I am good thinkman with good building and makings. Orange is favorite, except Kay because Kay is-"

Arthur leaped up, clapping a hand over the imposter's mouth. "Favorite letter, you are correct. That is my favorite letter. Somebody's an awfully good spy. How long have you been watching us?"

The Pepperman removed Arthur's hand from its face. "I be watch long time. I make good team?"

"But why have you been watching us?" Lewis snickered, calming down some. "Why try and mimick all of us?"

"Because good people. I make good team?"

Arthur scratched his head. "You keep saying that. Why do you want to make good team so bad?"

"Have team of good friends. I make lots of laugh, I make good team? I make good friend?"

Arthur and Lewis exchanged looks, both suddenly uneasy.

"I cook good like Pepperman. Make good serve."

"Ah… well…" Arthur hedged. "You see…" How was he supposed to explain to an inept shapeshifter that a team of paranormal investigators couldn't take a supernatural creature onto the team without losing all their business?

"Well look at you." Blue arms wrapped around the Pepperman's stick-thin waist. "Aren't you just the most adorable thing. Look at you. You're friendly, you're funny, you can look like anybody you want, right?"

The Pepperman nodded its head, the dark brown hair tweaks wobbling back and forth.

Vivi spun him around with a smile. "I think I know a great place for you, my friend. And you can go there every day and lots of people will love seeing you around, as long as you don't cause too much trouble, okay?"

The Pepperman's face lit right up as it eagerly demanded, "Where be place, Bluevi?"

…...

A few days later, strains of Magic brought Arthur rolling out from under the Prius to fumble for his phone. "Hi Kay, what's up?"

"Thought you'd want to know how the Pepperman is doing."

"I guess, but Lewis and Vivi aren't here to hear about it."

"Yeah, I figured, he won't pick up my calls again."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Love is doing weird things to my buddy."

"Don't I know it. But I stopped by the children's hospital today. The kids love him. He was mimicking one of the nurses, I guess she's a real grump 'cause he was stomping around with giant feet and waving his hands and even she couldn't hold it together. I asked under the Mystery Skull's authority how he was doing, and they said they made him up a little room in the basement. Looks like he's got a place to stay for now."

Arthur smiled, wiping his hands on a rag. "I'm glad. It's nice to see a happy ending every now and then."

"I bet. So… Lewis is off at Vivi's for the rest of the night. You got any plans, Sunny D boy?"

Arthur snorted. "Only if it involves beating you at mute Mario Kart."

"Oh come on, give me a break. I only just started getting the hang of the controls. It's not so easy if you didn't grow up with it."

"No mercy!" Arthur declared. "See you in an hour."

"Okay. Later Arthur."

"Later."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title excerpted from Ne Me Quitte Pas by Regina Spektor.


	2. A Different Way To Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt sent in by Backuppixiedust: "How about Chloe first discovering manga and/or anime?" Okay, I'm going to say the time period is way before Things We Lost, probably shortly after Tome Tomb has been established. However it does reference spoiler information from chapter 2 of Torn Apart so if you haven't gotten there, don't read this chapter yet...

"Chloe?"

She lay curled on her side. Duet paused at the doorway. She seemed to prefer the thick nest of hay and grass he had first made for her, as the bed stood completely made and unused on the other side of the room.

"I'm on my way out." His voice was quiet, but she flinched, drawing in on herself as if even sound hurt. "I'll be back with some kale and walnuts tonight. Is there anything else you would like?"

She reached a hand up to her forehead, running her fingers along her bandage with a vacant expression. He averted his eyes. Those hideous memories were gone, removed as quickly as he could manage, but she hadn't spoken since her first harvest. Had he damaged her mind?

He had to leave for the store. Nobody was coming to buy anything and he suspected it had to do with the haphazard stacks of books teetering everywhere. The Shiker had provided them with the means to make their way, but the world around them was madness. Steel fortresses brushing the clouds, carts that moved themselves over stinking roads, and little boxes that people used to talk to each other that came in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

It seemed certain sized boxes specialized in certain kinds of communication. The one in his pocket weighed like lead. This one was used to call them back for harvesting. It would lie silent for some months, thankfully. But he needed help.

So did she, but they couldn't see a doctor in this world. He couldn't explain the hole in her forehead and the pain in her body.

"I'll be back later." He brushed his knuckles across her cheek, but she didn't respond. Shutting the door to their apartment, he locked the door and shuffled out. As he walked to the store, head down, he considered the problem.

The next best thing to healing, which he could not give under their circumstances, was distraction. If he could fill her time, perhaps she would not be so disturbed at the blank spots in her mind. But he had no time to teach her this written language of the human world. Some of the herd had encountered written words in their land, but it was laughable in comparison to the oral tradition they passed on from generation to generation. They could trace their ancestry and the stories of the herd all the way back to the first unicorn, but who would write such a thing? It was a story to be told with pounding hooves and dances on the hillside, not pressed flat against dry reeds.

Yet that was the currency of knowledge in the human world, and he could not fill their child's mind with their own history. The pain of it stole his breath for a moment. She could never know.

A sound broke through his thoughts and he lifted his head. He passed a store with a clear glass front, and inside were several of box devices. These, he had found, were the entertainment communicators of the realm that had replaced nearly every form of theater in the area. It brought theater, in small ways, within the home.

This particular box displayed, not a true actor, but drawings. They wore strange clothing and wielded swords that spoke like women, but in a foreign tongue. Lettering that he was just becoming familiar with scrolled across the bottom of the screen, translating.

"Perhaps we can't give her our oral tradition," he murmured, peering at the boxes, "But that doesn't mean there is no oral tradition to give her."

The organization of Tome Tomb could wait one more day. He walked into the store and after several minutes of stilted conversation, arranged to have the communication box delivered to his home, along with several smaller boxes of recorded oral tradition. The store manager suspected him, and Duet was fairly certain he had been given a higher than usual price to pay, but he did not mind. It was not, after all, his currency.

After purchasing ingredients for supper that evening, he returned to the apartment to find the delivery human waiting by his door. He ushered the man in, closing Chloe's door with his heel as he passed, and pointed to a wall. "Right there will be perfect."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Don't see a socket nearby, you sure that spot by the window isn't better?"

Duet raised his eyes, pretending to consider the man's suggestion, and nodded sagely. "Yes, that will do." He watched as the man unpacked the communication device and strung cords between it and the wall. As the man turned to leave, he cleared his throat, pulling out a piece of paper currency. "Thank you for your help. I have one more question to ask. How do you operate this tool and cause the oral traditions to appear?"

…...

"Chloe?" Duet entered the apartment, setting the paper bags by the door so he could lock it. "Ah, you are awake. What story are you learning today?"

Chloe sat on the couch he had recently acquired, her legs folded to the side, leaning forward with rapt attention for the communication device. There appeared to be a dancer on screen.

"Oh, Duet, it's so beautiful." Her eyes glistened. "It's the story of a duck who wanted a sad prince to smile so much that she became a human girl to win his smile back. And that girl can become a magical dancer whenever the prince has need of it, to defend him and save the lost pieces of his heart. She doesn't know if she is a duck or a girl or a magical dancer, but I just know she will find out the truth of herself. You'll see." She raised her face, and he softened to see the first genuine smile on that face. "Everything will work out for her in the end."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title excerpted from Dreams by The Cranberries.


	3. A Debt You've Been Collecting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not a prompt. This was eating me up and Persephone will not let me get back to Laughter Lines until I let her have a say, so here we are. This is set soon after the end of Torn Apart, back in the realm of the Greek gods. Chapter title excerpted from Cats by A Love Like Pi.

In the center of a land that smelled of mulch and rot, the goddess Persephone crouched with her arms sunk elbow deep into the surface of the earth. Tendril vines caressed the weary soil, releasing vitality back into the ground. It would be months before she could approach the remains of The Cage with its scattering of decomposing carcasses. The smell was more than she could stomach. She would return to heal the land when time had worn the corpses down to the bone. For now, she would begin with the garden.

So much had been demanded of the soil. Sustaining perfection against a living being's original design came at a cost her mother refused to acknowledge. The land needed time to mourn. To sleep. To receive into itself instead of pouring out every resource.

As she tended her new charge, her thoughts drifted to the others impacted by her mother's actions. Teles, her beleaguered playmate of old. A conversation with the haggard Moirai, weavers of mortal fate, had produced the name of Teles' beloved; Timothy. Timothy, who had been drawn in to become a player in the curse by powers beyond his comprehension. Their children; Lewis, Cayenne, Aji, Dulcie. Chloe and Mystery, the lone survivors of their families. The Moirai had, reluctantly, provided her with a lengthy list of names upon her request, detailing each unicorn, child, and kitsune sacrificed in her mother's schemes. She'd memorized each name.

Vivi, the grieved beloved of Lewis.

And Arthur. Poor orange child. Persephone's last meeting with the Moirai had been deeply disheartening. The future threads in which Arthur was allowed to live a satisfying and good life were vanishing, one after the other, in rapid succession. His own fault, the Moirai insisted to her. The weave of his choices was leading him straight to the Underworld and there was nothing to be done but wait for him to come to the place where he could finally rest—a rest that would begin quite soon.

"It isn't fair," she sighed. "If not for my mother, those choices would not have been forced upon him."

The edge of her new realm trembled as a foreign foot sank into the mulch and muck, followed swiftly by a second. Lead. Lithium. Gold. Particles flaked off and mixed in the dirt. She tasted concern. Sadness.

With great care, she drew the tendrils back into herself, feeling footsteps across the land like paws of a cat walking along her spine. Brushing the dirt from her body, she rose up from her knees. Cadmium arms encircled her waist from behind. She reached her arm up to where Hades' chin now rested on her shoulder and trailed vines tenderly across his face.

"For eons my heart has frozen in fear whenever you returned to my sister," he murmured. "It has leaped for joy when you were released to come home to me. It has raged against her and felt dread despair clamp tight for weeks at a time. Since the day we first escaped her and wed, your heart is mine and mine is yours. Tonight, this heart groans under a heavy weight." He pressed a kiss to her neck, drops of mercury splashing onto her chest. "What is this cry within you, Persephone? The land will heal in time."

"It is not the land I grieve for, but for one whose time will be cut short."

Hades gave a long sigh. "We have fulfilled our debt to the mortal, Arthur. We offered the ability to make a trade for the dead. We owe him nothing more."

"No, Hades. You owe him nothing more. His bargain with you was well kept on both ends. But me?" She shook her head. "I would not have even thought to ask for what he managed to do. I am still deeply in his debt, and I am not satisfied with his fate."

Hades circled around in front of her, taking the mass of vines and roots at the end of her arm and stroking them. "His fate is to rest in peace with the most deserving dead in all my realm. How is this terrible? I will not count against him the crimes of the creature his body houses. His own actions will be weighed and he will be at ease in the afterlife."

"But what good, Hades? Separated for a lifetime from the beloved he sacrificed much to save. And she, grieving his loss, will spend her brightest years drowned in her own sorrow." She lifted a single root to wipe mercury trails from his golden face. "They would have mere months together, Hades. Would that have been enough for you?"

He pulled her close, and she could feel his heart beating faster. She whispered, "All these years would not have been enough for me, had my mother succeeded in undoing you. Mortals have so much less time than we do, Hades. Is there nothing we can do?"

He laughed softly. "Why do you ask the god of the Underworld, beloved? What is it that you think I can do?" He pulled back, his eyes twinkling sapphires. "You have been in your mother's shadow far too long. Who are you, Persephone?"

Startled, she groped for the answer she had proclaimed so proudly at Demeter's undoing. "I…"

"Who are you?" He persisted. "What is it that she stole from you?"

She straightened. "I am Persephone. I am the goddess of vegetation. Of the curses laid on men's souls. But… but I have already removed all curses from them."

Hades waited. She felt his eyes on her. There was more, but he was allowing her space. Time to reach some conclusion herself. He would not supply it first and he would not punish her inability to see it quickly. She nearly choked on the warm gratitude filling her chest from such a simple thing.

Taking slow breaths, she focused. Curses on men's souls. Arthur and the Peppers, dead and alive, were all clean of curses. Even so, Arthur was doomed to a short, unhappy life, so said the Moirai.

She stiffened. The potential threads of good futures. Not all of them had vanished yet. She had seen them, but dismissed them as impossible to reach. The twists required in the fabric of reality to reach these futures would not naturally occur. But then, his impending death was the result of natural choices in the face of many supernatural factors. This death would not be so close if there had not been interference in the first place. She had a right to intervene and set things straight.

Not only did she have the right, she had the power and resources to do so.

Resolve hardened within her. She stretched on the tips of her toes and kissed copper lips. "Thank you, my love. I must speak with the Moirai. Would you dispatch Aji to the Horae? Send word that I need their help on an urgent matter. I must convene with all very soon. There is little time left to repay my debt, and much to do."


	4. Days Gone By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gift to Answrs, part 1: A view into Kay and Arthur dating. Or, at least, a view into Arthur asking Kay out for the first time. Set way before Things We Lost. Chapter title excerpted from La Lune by Madeon & Dan Smith.

Arthur fidgeted with his wristband, running the fabric between his fingers as he dragged it slowly around his wrist. A few strands of his soul patch straggled and the thought of them hanging there nagged him. He didn't want to tug them out, though. He saw the little bald spots Uncle Lance hid with careful combing. He'd heard his Uncle's warning a million times. "One ya start yankin' it's awful hard ta stop."

Should have clipped them in line when he saw them, but Kay had just answered his text, asking her if they could get together and talk.

**Sure. Meet you at the park after my shift?**

Two hours. He could wait and ask her out when she was off and plan a future date, or he could be totally prepared now, wait for her, ask, and then sweep her off her feet by having the date ready to go right then.

So he loaded the van with necessaries for a picnic; a cooler, a blanket, two plates, a set of silverware, plastic cups, and a roll of paper towels. A quick trip to the market netted him a rotisserie chicken, coleslaw, and kettle chips. Not very classy, but he'd been to enough of the Peppers' backyard barbecues to know the safe bets. A small plastic jug of local fresh-squeezed orange juice. Ice for the cooler. Two small cartons, one holding a slice of carrot cake another holding a slice of chocolate to cover the bases.

Sliding into the van, he rested his hands on the wheel and drummed his fingers, considering locations. The park was a fine place to meet Kay and ask a quick question, but it was very open. Not that open was a bad thing, but he didn't want word getting out that he was dating his best friend's sister. Not yet.

He dragged a hand down the front of his face. "Yeah. Listen to me, already thinking I'm dating her when I haven't asked her out yet. Get a grip. Get a grip."

It was a short drive over from the market. The park was a respectable size, with fenced-off playground equipment off to one side and a lengthy stretch of rolling green dotted with shade and climbing trees the rest of the way.

A quick glance at his watch informed him there was plenty of time to take a loop around the park and contemplate disaster-date scenarios. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he let his feet take him where they would and kicked his thoughts in a direction that didn't promise a hike in anxiety levels.

Okay, that was not working. Kay's face was front and center in his mental theater and it was hard to get away from the cycle of potential reactions the screen flipped through when all exits were barred. He jammed his hands deeper in the pockets. Was this how Lewis felt asking Vivi out for the first time? Probably not. At least he'd known that Vivi was into him. Arthur would kill for some of that assurance.

Vivi wore her emotions on her sleeve, but Kay was a harder read. He'd known her since middle school ever since he got to be friends with Lewis, but Lewis was the only Pepper who got to attend public school. Kay and her sisters learned at home, for reasons Arthur could never weasel out of Lewis aside from some vague brush off about religious preferences. The same hand-waving reason was used to explain their refusal to allow music in the house or at the Pepper Paradiso, but Arthur had yet to think of a single religion that forbade  _all_  kinds of music.

Digging for answers like that during your first date was probably bad etiquette. Besides, he wasn't dating Kay because he wanted answers. He was dating her because… well…

He stopped pacing around the park and leaned up against a tree, contemplating a seedpod by his shoe. A couple pretty girls had made eyes at him in high school, and that was nice, but there was something about them that always turned him off. It was like when they were looking at him, they were really looking through him to someone he wasn't even sure existed. Like he was just a conduit for their still-forming hopes and dreams. Or perhaps he looked like someone they could mold to fit their desires. He didn't know for sure, of course, but it was the closest he could come to explaining the feeling that he wasn't really the one they were seeing when they looked at him.

Meanwhile, every visit he made to the Pepper household got him a friendly smile and a wave from Kay. Her gaze stopped at just him, as he was, and her lips formed his name and asked him how things were going. How Mr. Kingsmen was doing. Did Arthur have any special projects at the shop? She didn't understand all the tools or procedures he described, but then she would stop him to ask more questions. By the time they were seniors, Arthur began setting his watch wrong so that he arrived earlier than he'd told Lewis he'd be there. This gave him a little extra time to talk with Kay while Lewis scrambled to finish his chores or homework.

That year she'd started giving him birthday and Christmas presents. He was practically family, or so she'd teased, since he was over so often. Might as well get a share in presents. The first gift she gave him was a case to hold his favorite tool-set. Something to keep it from getting so banged up all the time. It had his name engraved on both sides.

She was thoughtful. Generous. She actually  _saw_  him. He hoped, fervently, she liked what she saw enough to take another few steps. He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to confidently choose a gift for her next birthday and have a running list of her favorite foods and see what she enjoyed doing after her shift at the restaurant and talk about if she enjoyed all those years learning at home.

"Arthur!"

He jolted free of the reverie, his breath dropping off as he caught sight of her jogging toward him. She'd changed out of the uniform into sweatpants and a yellow shirt. As she came up to him, smiling, the entire English language marched out his ears in either direction.

"Hey! Sorry I couldn't meet you right away. You need some help putting one over on Lewis?"

He blinked, latching onto one word she'd given him back. "Lewis?"

"Yeah. I heard about the Bhut Jolokia sandwich he made you. That's awful. Just because he has no sense of taste himself doesn't mean he should try to wipe yours out. So, what's the plan?" She cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Greased shoes? Swapping out his hair dye color? Catnip in his vest pockets?"

This little peek under the quiet exterior where other colorful parts of her soul gleamed out was another reason he wanted to date her. He wanted to find out more about this mischievous, playful streak and see what other colors she was hiding beneath the quiet front. Words came flooding back all at once and he blurted, "I want go date me!"

His stomach bottomed out as her smile froze.  _I want go date me?_  What kind of frankensteined request was that? Swatting humiliation aside, he forged ahead. "I mean, I'm sorry. I'm nervous." That bought him two seconds to breathe and try again. "I… this isn't about Lewis. Though I love those ideas. Um." The words were slipping away again, and he fumbled for a few good ones before they deserted him and took his nerve, too. "I was wondering if you'd like to. Um. Go out. On a date."

Her frozen smile swapped out for a very serious expression. This was it. This was where she said it would be better if he didn't come into their house anymore. A polite turn-down, then she'd spin around and walk off. Why hadn't he rehearsed with Vivi or something?

"What did you have in mind?"

Air. He could breathe again. That wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes either. Blinking, he floundered for an answer. "Um. Picnic. Picnic, at…" his eyes widened. He'd forgotten to pick a place. He didn't want Lewis or one of the Paradiso's regular patrons to spot them having a picnic out here in the park. There was no guarantee dating Kay would work out, and he wanted to wait and see before having to shoulder the expectations of everyone around him. Especially Lewis.

"At the river, maybe?" Her arms had crossed and her fingers worried the skin at her elbows. "I mean… sorry, don't mean to hijack. Just, here's a little… open. But, I'd like that."

Cautiously, Arthur poked at her concern. "Lewis?"

She nodded once, chewing on her lip.

"Yeah. Me too," he admitted. "Maybe… maybe if there's more dates." He winced. "I mean! If this works out for more I'd tell him! I mean…"

Her laughter drowned out his embarrassment. "I think we're on the same track, here. I'd love to go out with you. Just, you know. I can't really do restaurants."

"That's why I put together a picnic."  
Satisfaction swelled in his gut at the sight of her eyes widening. "Wait, you want to have a date now? Picnic? Now?"

"Yeah. I have everything in the van."

Her grin returned. "Smooth move."

He gave a short laugh. "No, not really. Did you hear me a second ago? What even was that?"

"Adorable, that's what. But we should probably head out, or at least look like we're plotting some evil scheme."

"What is that even supposed to look like?"

Kay hunched her shoulders, rubbed her hands together, and gave a grating cackle. "Now you try?"

"Maybe down by the river." Arthur smiled, gesturing to the van. "Shall we?"


	5. I Made My Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of a gift request for Answrs who wanted to see some more friendship rekindling with Arthur and Lewis, but I wanna take a sec to say these two chapters have been really nice to write. While I love dealing with angst and catharsis, it's also really nice to write a solid bonding chapter sometimes. So, thanks for the prompts! This one is set sometime in between Flaws and Laughter Lines. Chapter title excerpted from Keep Me Crazy by Sheppard.

"You said  _what?_ " Lewis roared, his bone-plated glove crashing down on the marble slab as Deadbeats rolled everywhere, tittering at Arthur. "Again, again! She walked up and you said…?"

Rolling his eyes, Arthur signed,  **I said "I want go date me."**

"Oh this beats mine by a mile!" Lewis howled, pointing in Arthur's face. "I didn't think anybody could top me zoning out and saying 'Pretty blue' but you had to go do it, Artie! Oh, that one could win you awards if we ever found the right competition."

**Are you going to keep mocking me or can I finish my story, now?**

"Both," Lewis snickered. "Definitely both. How ever did you recover from that?"

**I didn't. I just admitted I was nervous and kept shoving my foot deeper in my mouth.**

This was not what Arthur had in mind when he'd come to visit Lewis' grave, but it was just so good to hear Lewis laugh. Arthur sat cross-legged on the grass, watching a skeleton-ghost pound on his own headstone. Being ribbed indefinitely over his fumbled invite was a small price to pay to see Lewis this happy.

When Lewis finally lifted his head and refocused on Arthur's hands, Arthur continued.  **Then we agreed we wanted to wait to tell you until we'd had a few more dates. We didn't talk over all the details, but it was kind of unspoken that we wanted to see if it was going to work out. Though, in retrospect, she had a lot more riding on that than I did.**

Lewis' snickers died off and Arthur dropped his eyes to the headstone.

"Then what?" Lewis asked.

**Then I had the picnic all ready to go, and she was surprised. Was really proud of myself for that one. We ate down by the river and just talked about stupid stuff. Normal things. I think we planned some prank on you.**

"Oh, was that the time I got greased shoes  _and_ an oil slick down the hall?"

Arthur grinned.  **That rings a bell. I might have smuggled her some silicone grease.**

Lewis shook his head. "Vivi was right. I must have been pretty dense not to see this coming. In hindsight..." He shrugged. "I can see the little signs pretty clearly. I just didn't connect the dots."

_And then your rage left the door wide open for the Shiker, inviting him to be drunk on your anger and finish the job he'd started with Lewis._

Arthur's left shoulder hiked up to his ear and he glanced away. Arcturus tended to be the voice of his guilt and old fears along with his defensiveness, lately. He supposed that bringing up the guilt before anyone else could touch on it was a kind of defense, but Arthur had hoped he was beyond that by now. Apparently not.

"Hey. Artie. I never apologized properly."

Blinking, Arthur signed,  **Yeah, you did.**

"No, I didn't. We said we'd start over because there was too much to deal with and there wasn't time. But, right now we're here. You and me. And…" Lewis put a hand behind his head, right where the neck should have been. "And last time we were here, I really did almost kill you."

_You keep your eyes fixed on the ground, now. You hear his words but it is hard not to recall the feeling of your own skin bubbling away. You didn't know he was the one attacking you at the time, but once you understood, the utter shock that he could possibly think you wanted him dead shook every bond you had with him._

_"Would… Arthur, would you look at me? Please?"_

_Both shoulders rise to your ears. Is he going to take it back if your eyes are the wrong color? Is he going to go tense and silent? Drift away? Wait for the friendlier version of Arthur to come back?_

_You are torn between the desire to test him out of defiance and the need to know that he won't turn away from you. You lift your eyes to meet his, holding your breath._

_His hair flickers and those glowing irises shrink by a fraction, but he holds steady. He's already learned to manage his fearful reactions better than you._

" _I'm sorry, Arthur," he says. "I'm sorry I kept trying to kill you, and I'm sorry I burned you here."_

Arthur took in a slow breath and exhaled it. Then did it again.  **Do you remember what I said here that night?**

Lewis nodded. "You said you'd catch my murderer," he answered quietly.

**Did I do a good job?**

"You did better than good, Artie. I didn't even know how far up the ladder it went. If I didn't have a big blue reason for sticking around, I'd be able to pass on now because of your efforts."

A weight rolled off Arthur's lungs and he took in another deep breath. It was like being released from a life sentence.  **Yeah. I forgive you, Lew.**

Lewis reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks, Artie. But you know, you could have just come to Tome Tomb. I'm there to talk to. I'm not really down there." He gestured at his headstone. "You know that, so why did you come back here?"

Arthur signed his response with a dry expression.  **Gee. I don't know. Came back here for a little closure but your dumb skull just popped up and demanded I recount my first date shenanigans in the middle of it.**

He didn't have time to duck as Lewis swatted him to the ground.

"Yeah, well, with you getting married next week I figured I should have some material for the best man's toast."

Arthur's eyes widened.  **You wouldn't.**

Lewis doffed his skull, his eyesockets crinkled in a positively wicked grin. "See you next week for the death of a bachelor."

_"Lewis Pepper don't you dare!" You lunge for him, but he's already behind you, pantomiming a slow motion run that takes him as far as a normal dash. "Using your floaty ghost powers is unfair!" you shout, springing to your feet and taking after him._

_Joy is becoming a more familiar taste. It doesn't erase the night terrors or the anxiety, but it does make it more bearable. And with your wedding next week, attended by those closest to the two of you, you foresee ever greater measures of joy in your future._

_Yes, you could get used to this._


End file.
